


when you are near (my heart is at peace)

by copperpatina (zerotransfat)



Category: Dishonored (Video Games), Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Epistolary, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, In fact at this point its just a mess, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-07 22:23:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12850767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zerotransfat/pseuds/copperpatina
Summary: Journals of the Plague Year and the chronicle of the Lord Protector, fallen from grace.Dishonored!AU, with Eggsy as an Emperor from the slums, Daisy the Princess of the Empire and heir to the throne, and Harry as their Lord Protector.





	when you are near (my heart is at peace)

**Author's Note:**

> I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING

Oh, Harry. I had no choice.

The city is sick, and every day it grows sicker— the victims line the streets, weeping. I cannot help but weep with them, for they are my people, and I refuse to abandon them. I know what it is like on those streets— I lived on them, once; something the nobles in Parliament try their hardest to forget. But I have not. While I may have become more of a gentleman, there is and always will be a part of me that feels freest while I am running on the rooftops in plain clothes. It's the part of me that makes me want to stand up during yet another Parliament meeting where they wring their hands and never _do_ anything and just scream bloody fucking murder at them. It's the part of me that never left the council estates.

So I know what it is like to be poor, and helpless, and hopeless. Therefore, I refuse to give up on them.

Harry, if only there was someone else I trusted to send, so that you could remain near. But there is no one else, and the Spymaster was right to insist that I send you.

The plague has taken so many and we must find a cure. When you are near, my heart is at peace. Daisy and I will count the days until you return. Hurry home and bring good news.

 

_-Letter between Emperor Gary Lee Unwin and his Lord Protector Harry Hart, while in Serkonos_

 

* * *

 

**Much has been written about the uncommon rise of the Unwin Dynasty, but it bears repeating that they rose from to the most humble of roots to the highest position possible in the Empire of the Isles. In fact, it is a singularly yet most subtly acknowledged fact that His Imperial Majesty Gary Lee Unwin, First of His Name, was raised in the most peculiar of environs— namely, the council estates.**

**This was, of course, a point of contention among the high-born members of society— the Emperor, from the slums? But after the most unfortunate demise of Emperor Lee Edmund Unwin there was no one else of the line able to take the throne. So the young Emperor was brought to Dunwall Tower and there, under the guidance of his tutors and the protection of his father’s and his own Royal Protector Harry Hart, received the finest education and upbringing possible. He assumed full authority of the throne when he turned eighteen, and proceeded to put into motion a series of highly controversial social reforms, among them a census of the citizens and attempts to legalize unions, along with minimum wage and workweek length regulations. This made him immensely popular with the working classes, and almost hated and reviled among the upper classes, whose profits were being slashed due to taxes to fund said social welfare programs.**

**Controversy continued to dog the steps of the administration even years after his ascension; Emperor Gary drew much gossip and discussion with his formal adoption of his half-sibling, Daisy Michelle Unwin, as his heir and next in line to the throne.**

 

**-** _On the Rise of the Unwin Dynasty, by Douglas Harwickle, Historian_

 

* * *

 

V,

The preparations for the job are complete. Set to execute two days before Hart’s return.

This better be worth it.

 

_-Note found in Royal Spymaster Richmond Valentine’s journals, in an unknown hand_

 

* * *

 

_“Hart’s unconscious again. Though he’s taken more punishment than any two men we’ve brought for interrogation. When he wakes, we’ll start again. Having him sign the confession for his murder isn’t critical, but it might be useful to us later. The assassination of an Emperor is not a trivial matter.”_

 

_-Audiograph recorded by Richmond Valentine, retrieved from Coldridge Prison_

 

* * *

 

_“Attention, Dunwall citizens. The assassin, Harry Hart, responsible for the murder of our fair Emperor and the disappearance of Lady Daisy, heir to the throne, has temporarily escaped state custody. Any evidence to his whereabouts must be delivered to the City Watch at once.”_

 

_-Public Service Announcement_

 

* * *

 

I—I heard him.  _Saw_ him. How did I—but it is him. There is no force on this earth that can make me forget his voice. But that cannot possibly be.

It must have been a dream _—_ a horrid nightmare. But this Mark on the back of my hand and this grotesque, visceral Heart that whispers to me even now in that  _voice_ _—_ that proves it was real.

Last night, in that dream, in the Void where whales and past memories I could not possibly have known float suspended in blue, Eggsy was there. Dark-eyed, pale beyond compare, and a horrible smile on his face.

"My dear Harry," he said, and whalesong echoed under that familiar voice turned sinister by eldritch tones. 

He gave me his Heart.

Oh, the horrid feeling of pulsating dead flesh and metal wires, echoing with that voice!

Even now, it whispers to me. "I can feel a great age ending," Eggsy's voice says, and the hairs on my neck stand on end.

But now...now I have targets. And means of getting to those targets.

Campbell, that slimy High Overseer. Charlie Hesketh— James Spencer looks downwards at the mention of his name in shame, and bites his lip at the mention of his Parliament seat. Lady Boutella, whose deep pockets keep the Navy happy.

And Richmond Valentine.

I will not kill them.  _I will not._

That would be too kind.

 

_-From the Journal of Harry Hart_

 

* * *

 

**The Litany on the White Cliffs is clear— there are times when the dead, steeped in sin, linger on in the edges of all decent creation, in that space called the Void. A strong enough spirit can grab hold of the threads of power, and affect the world in that fashion. They reach out from beyond the Void, and with malignant intention Mark the living to their own malevolent wants. This gives the Marked unnatural abilities and strengths that are anathema to all the Abbey of the Everyman stands for, against the very grain of our Order.**

**Needless to say, this is the greatest of heresies, and any Marked should be reported to the High Overseer immediately. The victims will run; they are always under the impression that it is a loved one that gave them the "gift" of their spirit, but 'tis nothing but a lie, and clearly violates the Seven Strictures. After capture, we always try to redeem their souls from that sin by burning out the Mark; it is not always successful and most times the victim will never be the same.**

 

**-** _The Mark of Heresy, by High Overseer Clement Gregory_

 

* * *

 

Amelia Martin is an Overseer sympathetic to the Loyalist cause, and would be a most useful individual to have on our side. There is, however, one single catch. She is currently held in Holger Square on suspicion of conspiracy against the Lord Regent.

Your mission, Hart, will be to get in, get her out, eliminate High Overseer Campbell, and retrieve his journal. That thing is a treasure trove of information and dirty laundry that will serve our cause.

 

_-Note from Admiral Chester King to Harry Hart_

 

* * *

 

Harry,

Please. All the guards and that horrid Charlie Hesketh and Madame Prudence and all the ladies at the Golden Cat and everyone else in the city says that you killed Eggsy, and that you’re dead but I know that’s not true, I was there, I _saw!_ And if you really are dead then they wouldn’t be trying so hard to catch you.

But now I’m here and I’m stuck. I was so close to running away too, I was so close to just getting out from the VIP door. You taught me how to run, how elbow men three times my size to get out of holds. You taught me to keep trying— to never stop trying to escape.

I won’t stop trying.

Find me. Please.

 

_-Note found under the floorboards in the Golden Cat_

 

* * *

 

**The House of Boutella is a most influential one in high-society of Dunwall’s elites. They found wealth with the discovery of various veins of precious materials on their lands—and through shrewd political and business acumen they have grown into perhaps the single most influential family in Dunwall, perhaps even in the Empire of the Isles.**

**The most notable Boutella of this generation is Sofia Boutella, nicknamed “Gazelle” among her friends for her grace. But behind closed doors, there are whispers, as there always is **— but no one hears them, except by chance. Her servants never last long, and no one dares question her about their whereabouts.****

**And every year, there is one event the Boutellas host, the Boutella Masquerade Ball, where the elite of the elite gather. Political careers and social lives are lifted to new heights and torn to bloody pieces there, under the knife-like eyes of the Lady Boutella.**

 

**-** _On the Rise of the House Boutella, by Douglas Harwickle, Historian_

 

* * *

 

_Lord Montgomery Shaw_

_Miss Adelle White_

_Mr. Byron Alderdice_

_Mrs. Jane Blair_

_Mr. Jerval Crawford_

_Miss Ella Triss_

_Stephen Harding_

_Dr. Jack Ramsey_

_Lord Talmedge Estermont_

_Mr. Nels Jefferies_

_Lord Timothy Brisby_

_Lord Bernard Prismall_

_Her Majesty Tilde of Sweden_

_Mr. Adam Pyle_

**_Harry Hart_ **

 

_-Boutella Mansion Guest Ledger, from the Estate District_

 

* * *

 

Lord Regent,

Our search for the missing Lady Boutella continues with limited results. No one seems to know what happened to her, though there was a rumor circulating that she left the party by boat. It seems unlikely, but in any case the witness in question saw nothing more, so even that lead went cold.

Also, it's undoubtedly not worth your time and I hesitate to even mention it, but apparently on the night of the Boutella Party someone signed the guestbook as "Harry Hart". It must be a perverse joke, surely. However, you asked to be notified of all such matters, and in truth we never located the Royal Protector's body, so I thought best to bring it to your attention. Sorry for troubling you with this matter.

I know Lady Boutella is dear to you. Rest assured we will redouble our efforts to locate her.

 

_-Note to Lord Regent Valentine, from City Watch Captain Galloway_

 

* * *

 

_“Daisy, my sister, I know that one day you’ll be grown up, and I wonder what you’ll remember of these years. Will you recall your time as a child with fondness? Or were there too many caretakers, formal dinners and lessons about boring old history? Maybe the precious hours we spent together will shine brighter _—_ time captured now and then with your brother and with Harry, who was always close to my heart. I hope the season of rats and plague will be nothing more than a passing shadow on your early memories. A crisis come and passed, weathered by your brother and his advisors. You’ll sit on the throne someday, and will do well I hope. It’s a tricky life, full of responsibility and peril. It was not your choice to be the sister of an Emperor, as it was not my choice to be the son of one either, but I believe you’ll rise to the challenge. Stay good-hearted, Daisy. Keep drawing and telling stories. And only share your power with those you truly trust.” _

 

_-Audiograph entitled “To My Dear Daisy”, found in the Imperial Safe Room_

 

* * *

 

_“If I explain, then you will see, I am not at fault. My V-Day Plan was meant to bring prosperity to the City, to rid us of those scoundrels who waste their days in filth and drink, building their squalid, dirty lives on the suffering of the leviathans. I wanted to save the whales, those beautiful creatures whose cries haunt me still._

_And it was a simple plan – bring the disease bearing rats from the Pandyssian Continent, and let them take care of the bulk of humanity for us. The plan worked perfectly. At first. But the rats – it was as if they sought to undo me. They hid from the catchers, and bred at a sickening rate. Soon it didn’t matter, rich, poor, all were falling sick. It’s so horribly messy, too! People bleeding from their eyes, their mouths— it all disgusts me._

_And then people began to ask questions. The Emperor assigned me to investigate whether the rats had been imported by a foreign power. I knew the truth would come out eventually. So there was no other way than to be rid of him, and take power myself. He had to die, you see. HE HAD TO DIE._

_Bringing about the death of an Emperor is not an easy thing, but it gave me the chance to attack the plague with some real authority. Quarantines! Deportation of the sick! But there’s always some idiot woman searching for her wretched lost babe, or some sniveling workman searching for his missing wife. And then quarantine is broken!_

_But you can see how my plan should have worked? Would have worked! If everyone had just followed orders.”_

 

_-The Lord Regent Richmond Valentine’s Confession, broadcasted to the city_

 

* * *

 

_“So you've lost it all. Ruined at last, Lord Regent. Royal Spymaster. Richmond Valentine. You small, gutless man, you who were willing to spill an ocean of blood and yet not even able to stomach the sight of it. You'll never know how many times I've thought about trying to get close to you again, just to put a piece of sharp metal in your eye._

_But now there's no need. You've been taken down by the same apparatus that gave you life to begin with: laws and courtrooms and the mighty swell of public outrage._

_Good riddance to you, sir. So many schemes you had and so many contracts. How many people did I kill for you? None like the last. None like him. I'd give back all the coin if I could. No one should have to kill an Emperor.”_

 

_-Roxy Morton’s Audiograph, retrieved from the Flooded District_

 

* * *

 

He let me go.

I killed his Emperor, took his charge, and let him rot in Coldridge for six months.

He had me knocked out, my men sleep-darted or choked into unconsciousness. He could have taken blade and bullet to us, and there would have been nothing we could have done.

And he chose mercy. Extraordinary.

You would have to be insane, or a martyr, or a saint, or all three to choose mercy like this. In other words, you would have to be Harry fucking Hart.

_(in a different hand; it seems this was the original message): This is my only mercy._

_-Hastily scribbled note, retrieved from the Flooded District_

 

* * *

 

 

**Entry One**

It has been days since our men were dispatched to stash weapons for Harry in the old sewer. They have not returned, so I can only hope that they succeeded in getting the packages delivered. Piero spent considerable time and resources making those things. If I could find a way to mass produce them, the Dunwall Navy would secure its place as the dominant force on the globe. But back to Harry. Can he actually break out of Coldridge Prison and if so, will he make his way here? I personally give him odds of 1 in 5.

**Entry Two**

Well, it seems we have invested in the right man in Harry. Not only did he free Amelia from the Office of the High Overseer, but he went into that viper's nest and sorted out Campbell personally. With Harry in our company I suspect there is no one in the world we cannot touch. We are now committed to this path. There is no turning back.

**Entry Three**

Spencer was willing to go farther than I thought. He served up his own flesh and bone to the cause, and I can see that he is truly loyal to the Empire. Could I have done the same if my brother was still alive today? Probably. Undoubtedly. Many innocents must be sacrificed for the good of Dunwall. Every loyal watchman that falls beneath Harry's blade is giving his life for the Empire. ****  
**  
** **Entry Four**

He is returning now with James Arnold over his shoulder. Simply amazing. Not only can Harry project lethal force, he can do an extraction I didn't think possible. And soon the two greatest minds of the Empire will be here. Together. If I could get these rivals to cooperate they could create weapons and tools of unimaginable power. If I could command both of them-- Well, I'll wait and measure their disposition towards one another before following that line of thought.

**Entry Five**

Amelia Martin is now High Overseer. She is a clever one and her ideas have taken us very far. Considering where she comes from, she should be very pleased with herself. Now we can be assured that the Overseers will support our claims, whatever they may be. There is only one man standing between us and complete control of the Empire. The Lord Regent will soon find himself staring into that hideous mask of Harry's, of that I have no doubt. But what happens after that?

**Entry Six**

Until we get through all this and hold the coronation, nothing's certain. Dunwall Tower has got its own culture. No telling what could happen if we moved into the place too soon. The next steps must be handled carefully. Things are happening quickly now. I need time to think.

**Entry Seven**

We could not have done any of this without Harry, and for that I will be grateful. But I fear he did not have the vision to see the future we must achieve for Dunwall. We will not achieve our hold on the Empire with a little girl setting policy, and I believe Harry's loyalty to Unwin would have clouded his head. Is she truly his daughter? We will take Dunwall to the pinnacle of strength, but Harry's role in this cannot ever be recognized. He must be vilified, and when I take the reins of the city _—_ of the Empire _—_ I will be seen as the hero and protector.

 

\- _From the Journal of Chester King, retrieved from Kingsparrow Lighthouse after his arrest by the restored Lord Hart_

 

* * *

 

_So ends the interregnum, and now Daisy Unwin the First will take her brother's throne, after a season of turmoil. You will stand at her side, Harry, guiding her young mind, and protecting her from those who seek to exploit her, or cause her harm._

_You watched and listened where other men would have shouted in rage. You held back instead of striking. So it is, with the passing of the plague and Daisy's ascension, comes a golden age, brought about by your hand._

_And decades hence, when your hair turns from the silver-and-dark I so loved to snowy white and you pass from this world, Empress Daisy—Daisy the Wise, at the height of her power— will lay your body down within her brother's great tomb, because you were more to her than Royal Protector._

_You were more to_ me,  _than Royal Protector._

_Oh, I stayed, as long as I could, as close as I dared. You held my Heart, clockwork-patched as it was, and I was at peace. Even if I was cold, and tired, and trapped in chill wires and morbid flesh._

_Farewell, Harry._

**Author's Note:**

> I mashed the Outsider and Eggsy's role together, so technically I kind of lied in the summary— Eggsy is both the Emperor and an eldritch being beholden to the Void. Ain't that something?


End file.
